4 min read
Why Facebook asks for a phone number
Facebook asks for a mobile number to confirm new accounts, to unlock an account it has flagged, and for some security checks. The confirmation code arrives by SMS.
Can you skip the phone on Facebook?
Sign-up with email is possible. Facebook still asks for a phone in many security checks, and some of those screens have no email option.
Your options without a SIM card
Free public SMS sites rarely receive Facebook codes, and numbers already linked to other Facebook accounts are refused.
- Email or Google/Apple sign-in, when the app allows it. Free, and no number at all.
- A second SIM or eSIM. Costs a monthly plan, but the number stays yours.
- A private temporary number from CoveSMS. Only you see the code, and you pay nothing if it doesn’t arrive within 20 minutes.
Step by step: get the Facebook code online
- Buy a Facebook number in your dashboard.
- Choose the same country on Facebook’s phone screen and paste the number.
- Ask for the code by text message.
- Enter the code from your dashboard.
If the code doesn’t arrive
- If Facebook offers WhatsApp as the delivery method, switch to SMS. The number receives texts only.
- “This number is already in use” means another account owns it. Cancel for your balance back and get another.
- Codes usually arrive in under a minute. If nothing comes, a different country is the best second try.
After you’re in: stop depending on the number
A temporary number is single-use. Set up another way in before it closes:
- Add your own email in Accounts Center › Personal details › Contact info.
- Turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app, not SMS.
- Download your recovery codes from the same screen.